Orchid ID and care help for a rescue

[DanielleMay]

Hi everyone! I'm very, very new to orchids and I'm desperately in need of some help. I was helping my mother in law move yesterday and I came across an orchid my brother in law had given to her a year or 2 ago. It's never been repotted or given any sort of fertilizer. It's only ever bloomed once in her care .I'd love to be able to save it but I really don't know where to start. I know that it needs to be repotted. Do I trim off the dead leaves? What about the pseudobulbs? I have no idea what type of orchid this is. My mother in law couldn't even tell me what color the flowers were when they bloomed. I'm totally in the dark here so any help or advice would be greatly appreciated! Thank you so so much for reading!

[RandomGemini]

It's an Oncidium. I would repot this ASAP.

Start by purchasing some Better Gro Special Orchid Bark from lowe's or Home Depot. Put the amount you will need to use for potting this orchid in a large bowl in the sink. Put on some water to boil, once it boils pour this into the bowl over the bark and allow it to soak overnight.

The next day, soak the pot, plant and old medium and all for 15 minutes in lukewarm water.

Then carefully tease all of the old medium away from the roots with your fingers. Do this over a trash can.

Once you have the roots clear of old medium, this is a good time to look at them. Anything brown and mushy, is dead. Anything white, green or yellow and firm is alive. Trim the dead roots away with sterilized scissors.

Once you have done that, you can probably return this orchid to the pot that it came from. Carefully pot this orchid into the pot with the bark by placing the plant in the pot first and gently tucking the wet bark around the roots to keep the plant stable in the pot.

Water twice weekly. Don't let it completely dry out, but Donny keep it too wet either. Place it in a window with good light, east facing should work out ok.

[RandomGemini]

Oh and while you're getting the bark, pick up a bag of their orchid plus fertilizer too. Mix this at a rate of one quarter teaspoon per gallon of water and water with this once per week.

[DanielleMay]

Thank you so much for your help! I'll go to home depot tonight to pick up supplies

[RandomGemini]

Just FYI, it will take a couple of years for this orchid to recover. It might be easier on you to let it go and start with a healthy plant.

Good luck, whatever you decide!

[WhiteRabbit]

I don't think that one will make it , sorry ...

[RandomGemini]

It does look pretty bad off, yeah. You can get another one at Lowe's for around 20$.

[Bulbofett]

My Oncid looked just as bad as this one when I rescued it from Lowe's. I don't expect any blooms in the next year or so, but it is slowly recovering. I'd say to keep the plant, you've got nothing to lose by taking care of it. Personally, I can't give up on a plant until it starts decomposing

[tarev]

Remove the old media and check the roots.. see if there are still viable roots. If there is none, and if you have the patience for it, you can try and maybe put it in a new moss set-up, tent it to increase humidity, and maybe it will try and make new roots. But it will be a long haul one.

Now if there are still some really good roots there, in its new media mix, sit the root zone area in water for a few minutes at a time, like for 5 minutes today, let water drain, then do it again in the next couple of days....Oncidiums are such water hogs, it might just try and drink and plump the roots up and its pseudobulbs, though not all the way plump like before. Or it will also attempt to do a new pseudobulb.

But these are just possible scenarios that can happen..it just depends how far along that plant is in its poor condition.

[DanielleMay]

Thank you so much for all of the help guys! This is one sad looking little plant. Normally I'd quietly swap it out with a new one, especially since my mother in law can't remember what it looks like when it's bloomed. However it was a gift from her son who she doesn't see or hear from often so she's got a lot of sentimental attachment to it. Thanks to all your help I've got a game plan now. Thank you so much again for all the advice!